I
am very glad indeed, Colonel, that he has filled the bill, and now
the Injun fightin' is all over for this season and 'twill be some
time before we all meet again, if we ever do. I have nothing of
value to present to you, but such as I have is as free as the
water in the brook."
At this he produced a gallon jug of whiskey, set it on the table,
gave us some glasses and told us all to help ourselves. This wound
up the evening's exercises, and after each had tipped the glass
about three times we broke up the lodge and each went on his way
rejoicing.
Before the Colonel left that night he told me that we would divide
the captured horses the next morning. I told him that all I wanted
was the five horses that I had captured from the five Indian
scouts when I first started in to scout for him, but the next
morning [Transcriber's note: unreadable text] out when the horses
were brought in and made the division. There were sixty-three of
them, and he left fifteen to my share.
I stayed at Jim Beckwith's for about two weeks, and his carpenters
having the houses completed, we saddled up four horses and took
them to Hangtown. It was a distance of twenty miles to Hangtown,
which at that time was one of the loveliest mining towns in
California. There were between four and five thousand inhabitants
in and around the place. During the day it appeared dead, as there
was scarcely a person to be seen on the streets; but at night it
would be full of miners, who, it seemed, came to town for no other
purpose than to spend the money they had earned during the day.
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